Legacy of Race & Religion in the Puget Sound

Legacy of Race & Religion in the Puget Sound

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day today, we invite you to visit our latest blog post where you’ll learn about the history of forced assimilation and the indoctrination of Native peoples through such practices as religious boarding schools—including one that existed just a few miles from our church home.

We hope you’ll take a moment to read it and reflect on how we as United Methodists can take the time to learn this important history and work towards creating a better future focused on inclusivity, mutual respect, understanding, and Divine love.

Breaking the Binary in Our Brains

Breaking the Binary in Our Brains

We live in a world where binary relationships are commonplace: black and white, day and night, good and evil… This sounds simple, but we all know that life is full of more than one shade of gray. How do we come to terms with the “binary myth.” Read on to open your heart to the nuances of the world we live in.

Breaking the Cycle

Breaking the Cycle

Are you harder on yourself than you are on other people? Does your inner critic sometimes win the battle? Do you find yourself shutting down in certain situations? Does your body sometimes seem to have a mind of its own? Hear what Pastor Margaret has to say about our negative behavior patterns and a tool she uses that can help us all learn how to be kinder to ourselves.

A Place to Be

A Place to Be

This past Christmas our church hosted a community event called “A Place to Be.” No matter who you were, where you came from, what you were wearing, or what you believed in, you were welcome here that night. What would it be like to share a meal with a bunch of strangers on Christmas Eve? Was this really a good place to be on this special night? Read on to hear the story of one of our member’s experiences that special evening.

Compassion Fatigue

Compassion Fatigue

In a world with a 24-hour news cycle, we need only glance at the screens in the palms of our hands to be bombarded with the latest catastrophe. All of it can feel like a constant, overwhelming onslaught of soul-crushing information. We’re often tempted to take to our beds, pull the covers over our heads, and shout, “World, go away!” But we can’t, can we? As Christians, we cannot put our proverbial “heads in the sand.” Read on to be assured as to why, and how we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”

Let's Build A Family

Let's Build A Family

What makes a family? As members of the church, we all belong to the family of God. We are one body in Christ. Yet we all have different gifts and perspectives (Romans 12). What could we dream about together if we put aside our differences, and focused on our shared conviction in Christ? If we left room for God to fill in the blanks, in what ways could he use us to serve our community? Read on to join Crystal as she wonders about the answers to these questions with us.

Loving Yourself

Loving Yourself

How can you effectively love others if you don’t love yourself first? Some of us are so accustomed to dealing harshly with ourselves, that it spills over into how we treat others. In addition to loving him, God calls us to love our neighbors AS we love ourselves. You too are a child of God, worthy of love, compassion, and grace. Sometimes something as simple as making it a practice to regularly compliment yourself can enable you to see yourself the way God sees you.

In the Wake of Another Tragedy

In the Wake of Another Tragedy

Yesterday morning, students and teachers arrived at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The school is 81% Hispanic and serves children in the 2nd through 4th grade. It felt like any other day. Yet by the afternoon, it was not. Nineteen children and 2 adults were killed at a school which was meant to be a safe place to learn and grow. The shooter, Salvador Ramos, was 18 years old and recently bought two assault rifles for his 18th birthday.